Israeli strikes kill 11 in southern Lebanon in deadliest attack since June ceasefire

The strikes

Israeli warplanes struck southern Lebanon on Saturday, August 15, killing at least 11 people and wounding 19 in the deadliest single attack since the June ceasefire framework. Lebanon's National News Agency reported that seven people were killed and three wounded when Israeli aircraft bombed a house on the outskirts of Ansar village in the Nabatieh district, destroying the building. Four others were killed in a separate strike on the village of Deir al-Zahrani, about 20 km away. Among the dead were three children and two women, according to Lebanese health authorities; local media identified one family unit as a mother and her four children.

Additional strikes hit the Ali al-Taher ridge near the UNESCO-listed Beaufort Castle, the Ansar valley, and the border town of Bint Jbeil. The ANI news agency noted that the Ansar valley strike was the first at such depth into Lebanese territory since the ceasefire two months earlier.

Israeli and Lebanese accounts

The Israeli military said the raids targeted Hezbollah infrastructure in a designated security zone, describing the operation as a response to a Hezbollah attack on Israeli forces. Lt. Col. Ella Waweya, the army's Arabic-language spokesperson, wrote on X that the strikes were carried out in response to a serious violation of the agreement by Hezbollah, after it attacked Israeli forces inside the agreed security zone. The military said it struck a central headquarters of the al-Radwan Force, Hezbollah's elite unit, and killed Ali Samir Al-Haj Hassan, a battalion commander.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam rejected the Israeli characterization of the targets.

The victims of the Israeli strike on the village of Ansar do not constitute military infrastructure and the women and children who were killed are not military targets.

Salam added that responsibility for dealing with any military infrastructure lies exclusively with the Lebanese state through the Lebanese army.

Hezbollah's response

Hezbollah issued a statement threatening an "appropriate response" and urged Beirut to halt what it called "humiliating" negotiations with Israel. The group said continuing direct talks would amount to making gifts to the enemy despite the crimes and aggression it is perpetrating. Hezbollah has refused to join the direct negotiations and did not adhere to the framework agreement.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun accused Israel of using the attack to send a "clear message" ahead of upcoming negotiations between Washington and Tehran. A US-Iran truce signed in June is set to expire on August 17, according to Lebanese reporting.

Humanitarian toll

Pierre Catore, an emergency doctor working in the area, told France 24 that some doctors lost their homes in Saturday's strikes and that healthcare workers fear hospitals could be targeted. He said the most common injuries are blast and compression wounds, with doctors also concerned about infections and long-term psychological impact on civilians.

Mohammed Saab, a homeowner in Ansar whose property was hit, asked why his family deserved such treatment.

I want everyone in the Arab world to hear this. What do I have here to deserve all this?

Ceasefire context

Lebanon and Israel agreed to two truce agreements in June, mediated by the Trump administration. The June 4 ceasefire was contingent on a complete cessation of Hezbollah fire and the evacuation of its fighters. The June 27 framework agreement tied Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon to the disarmament of Hezbollah. Both ceasefires were opposed by Hezbollah. A previous truce announced in April had already unraveled. On June 19, one day before the truce took effect, Israeli attacks on Lebanon had killed 83 people and wounded 141, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.